Big City Transit: Hong Kong

Hong Kong has it all – from subways and buses to affordable taxis and surprisingly speedy ferries. As compact as Hong Kong is, even your two feet have serious currency. Getting around a major metropolis doesn’t get much easier than this.

First things first: go to a 7-Eleven or MTR service counter and purchase an Octopus card. In a city where so many different transport companies are running routes by land, rail and sea, this all-in-one smart card is a lifesaver. Practically every form of public transit accepts the Octopus, and you’ll save yourself from that awkward standoff with a driver who needs exact change when you don’t have it.

Click to read more ...

Asia’s Magic Kingdom: Hong Kong Disneyland

A recent Hong Kong Standard headline read: ‘Fun parks go for same theme – price hikes.’ The Standard reported that, like another Hong Kong attraction, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland plans to hike prices – from HK$350 (adult peak, day ticket) up to a figure nudging HK$400, partly because of plans to expand the theme park.

For those who buy into the magic embodied by Tinkerbell and her starry wand, this forecast rise is inconsequential. In the field of classic folktales sprinkled with fairies and talking animals, nobody offers more wow factor than Disney.

Click to read more ...

hong kong: tian tan the giant buddha

Better known for its business buzz and megamalls, Hong Kong also hosts one of Asia's most striking spiritual statues. Meet the Tian Tan Buddha.

Set on Hong Kong's largest island, Lantau – a day trip away from downtown Hong Kong – the Tian Tan Buddha boasts epic proportions. This extension of the squat and diagonal Po Lin ("precious lotus") temple soars 34 meters into the sky. Just to raise its height and make other Buddha statues more noted for girth feel inferior, the Tian Tan perches on a lotus throne atop a soaring 268-step staircase.

Click to read more ...

hong kong: pink dolphins

Few other animals except pigs and people have pink skin. Another species which boasts that peculiar distinction is the pink dolphin.

The pink dolphin exists in only two places in the world -- China and the wilds of the Amazon basin. The name stems from the cuddly looks of the adults, which are blessed with the bubble-gum-pink colouration that makes such a refreshing change from your average dolphin's dull blue.

Click to read more ...

food blog: dos and don'ts of hong kong yum cha

You just can't have a peaceful lunch in Hong Kong, especially in a Yum Cha restaurant where it's always cluttered with people – there are no decent Wedgwood teapots, no superior services, and no bossa nova radiating from all corners of the restaurant.

Click to read more ...

food blog: hutong’s high altitude dining in HK

One of HK’s most striking features is its skyline – you know this as soon your low-cost carrier mercifully touches down. Skyscrapers are hemmed in by mountains on one side and Victoria Harbour on the other and the results are devastatingly pretty – enough for gourmands to wonder:  ‘how can I marinate in this view while eating something marinated?’ 

Click to read more ...